Fed up with DS pooping in his underwear

ABMcKinney

We tried to potty train a few times after DS turned 2.5, but he just wasn't ready. Last Tuesday he came to me and told me he was ready to wear his big boy underwear. I was so happy! He has only had a handful of pee-pee accidents since then and he wakes up dry in the morning about 70% of the time.

He REFUSES to poop in the potty. I don't know if he's scared or what, but it's driving me nuts. I've tried bribing, making him sit there (he sat for an hour watching tv and then promptly pooped as soon as I put his underwear back on him) and I've tried making him throw his underwear away. (Lots of tears over Wall-E, not so much with Thomas the Train!)

Any suggestions on how to get him to do this? I know that if he'd just do it one time it would make all the difference! I just can't seem to make him give it a try.

n&bcarlson

Wait for a day or two when you will be home all day with no place to go and just make him go bare bottomed all day, including naps and even at night (if he is potty trained at night).  It took DD a few weeks to be willing to go poop, even when she was peeing in the potty every time, and I was tearing my hair out at all the poopy underwear.  This approach really worked for DD.

Cytina

S has recently started pooping on the potty about 80% of the time.  I think it just takes time and patience.  Some things we did... keep asking him where the poop goes ("in the potty!"); throw away the underwear and make a big production over it; reinforce that "big boys poop in the potty" all the time; let him watch you and/or YH poop on the potty, show him the poop and let him flush; tell him the potty loves poop and pee!

snippet

We are having the same problem!  My 3yo will not poop in the potty.  He usually does it overnight or at naptime, when he is in a pullup, although he has done it in his underwear, too.

I'm hoping it will just click when he is ready.  We keep telling him that the poop wants to go swimming, LOL! 

stacinsean

So glad we're not the only ones with that problem! DS will go pee all day long, but no poop. I guess we're going to try the bare-bottom approach!  

Banana44

Cytina:

S has recently started pooping on the potty about 80% of the time.  I think it just takes time and patience.  Some things we did... keep asking him where the poop goes ("in the potty!"); throw away the underwear and make a big production over it; reinforce that "big boys poop in the potty" all the time; let him watch you and/or YH poop on the potty, show him the poop and let him flush; tell him the potty loves poop and pee!

We did all of this (and still do).  Constantly talking up about big girls and poop in the potty.

But - she really got it when I caught her twice in a row trying to poop in her pants.  As soon as I saw her start, I swooped her up ran to the potty and let her finish on the potty.  Ever since then she has been great about it!

She still tells me a little late - like the poop is just starting, so I often have to change her underpants, but the majority of the poop gets in the toilet.

Practice makes perfect :-)

LauranBilly

My LO is up and down with it as well. She wants to try and you say okay lets go to the bathroom, and you get in there and shes like NO. I dont want to.. and she will tell you "im poopin" "im peein" but she doesnt want anything to do with the "big" potty. I think i might need to get her a little potty.. ::sigh:: i didnt want to deal with the little "trays" and cleaning it out.. but hey if its going to help her go, lets give it a try.

JillShari

Dump it in the potty and let him flush it too... he needs to know where it goes and that it isn't scary.... I read somewhere that sometimes they feel more like the poop is like a body part, so it scares them to sit and poop on the potty... I thought it was strange, but just an idea.

LilMissLadybug

I know how frustrating this is. DD started PTing at 18mos then regressed at 2yrs then was PTing again and regressed again when DS was born. Both times she was too scared to poop in the potty. She was actually 4yrs old when she FINALLY pooped in the toilet. Before that she would poop in her undies and dump it in the toilet then hide the undies on me. One day she just went and it clicked with her. She was actually completely pee & night trained before she was fully potty trained. Just give him time. Does he have a hard time pooping? DD has always had a harder time with pooping so I think it scared her that it would hurt or that the water would splash her. My mom also said some kids are scared that they're losing body parts when they poop. GL!

mommyparky

We had the same problem. We had the peeing down, but then she would poop in her pants and come tell us.  She would also wait till a pullup got put on for nap then poop. One day it just clicked with her and she started pooping on the potty.  I'm not sure whateven happened that made her start doing it, but it made me very happy! WE gave her M&Ms everytime she went and made a huge deal to look at every poop and cheer.  I would have her tell our family (sitter, grandparents) how she pooped on the potty and they would cheer for her also. She has a stool in the bathroom and takes her self to the potty.  We never offered a little potty here because I didn't want to mess with it.  Good Luck, I think when they are ready one day it will just be done.